Street-railway construction



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

R. T. WHITE.

STREET RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION.

No. 375,855. I Patanted Jan. 3, 1888* WW I K4 T 4 M i 2 2 Sheets-Shee5 2.

(No Model.)

R. T. WHITE.

STREET RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION.

Patented Jan. 3, 1888.

N PETiRS, Mo-Uhqnpher, Wnhingtun. D. C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

REYNOLDS T. WHITE, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

STREET-RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 375,855, dated January 3, 1888.

Application filed October 524. 1887. Serial No. 253,163. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, REYNOLDS T. WHITE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have inventeda new and useful Improvement in Street-Railway Construction, of which the following is a specification.

My invention refers to the construction of crossings, switches, frogs, and such like parts employed in street-railroad construction, the object being to construct such part so that the bearing or wearing surface can easily be removed when worn and replaced by new.

The invention consists in constructing the lower or girder portion of metal of I form, its upper flanges being provided with slots, through which pass lugs formed on the under side of upper or wearing surface, the upper itnd lower portions being secured together by ceys.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a plan or top view of a straight crossing embodying my invention,part of the upper portion being broken away to show the top of the lower or girder portion. Fig. 2 is a vertical crosssection through the same without the pavement. Fig. 3 is a plan or top view of a crossing known as a curvecross. Fig. 4 is aside view,and Fig. 5 a view of one end of the same. Fig. 6 is a view of the wide end of the same.

The lower or girder portion, A, is cast in one piece, and consists of upper and lower flanges, ab, with a web, a, between them,which web is hollowed out, as shown, to make it lighter. Braces d d are provided at suitable intervals to give additional strength, and the upper flange, a, is provided with openings or slots 6 e on each side of the web,as shown. At the ends where the rail R connects with the crossings or switches are provided projections or lugsff,that form a chair for the ends ofthe rails that abut against the said crossing, it being intended to use the crossing, switches, 820., in connection with rails provided with a central rib on their under side, the ends of said rails being secured to the lugsff by means of akey,g. Theselugs may be made with flanges, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, so as to give additional strength and asolid bearing for the rail, or they may be of the form shown in Figs. 3 to 6.

If the web of the rail to be used in connection with these crossings, switches, &c., is provided with a bulb on the end, then only one of the lugs f is cast with the crossing or switch, the other half to form the chair being loose and bolted or otherwise secured thereto after the rail has been placed in position. The upper portion constituting the wearingsurface or rail B, is formed on its upper side to correspond with the tread of the rails, and on its under side with lugs or cars h 71, that pass down through the slots or openings 6 on each side of the web 0 of the girder A. Each of these logs is provided with a keyway, and corresponding keyways are formed in the web 0, so that after the rails B are laid in position they are readily secured by keysjj.

In Fig. l I have shown a straight crossing for a single track; but if the crossing is required for a double track, then each of the ends can be extended half the length of the space between the tracks and connected together, thereby dispensing with short pieces of rails between the up and down tracks.

In the crossing shown in Figs. 3, 4, and 5 the construction of the lower or girder portion is precisely the same as that described with reference to Figs. 1 and 2, the only difference being in the form of the girder to adapt it to difierent uses. The upper or wearing portion is also the same; but in curve and such like crossings,to make all solid and to have a good surface to pave up to, I cast a web or filling-in piece, m, between the two narrow openings, as shown, and I roughen the upper surface to prevent horses slipping thereon, and to strengthen the same ribs or are formed on the under side.

In curved crossings the wheels of the car have a tendency to run off the track on the outer side of the curve. To guard against this, I cast on the outer side of the curve a small projecting pieoe,B,as shown in Figs. 3,4,and 5.

It will be seen that by this construction crossings and such like parts of a street-railroad being made in two parts-viz., a lower or girder portion and an upper or wearing portionand held together by keys, should the upper or wearing portion become damaged or worn out, it can readily and easily be re placed without interfering with the lower or girder portion, and as the parts are keyed together all that has to be done to loosen the upper portion from the girder is to knock out the keys, when it can be lifted out of the way and a new piece put in its place and the keys inverted and driven home, the whole opera tion occupying buta very few minutesa very great consideration, as the continuity of the track is preserved and the cars are not detained during the course of such repairs.

In Figs. 2 and 4c I have shown the girders placed upon stringers S; but they may be laid upon abed ofconerete or otherwise, as desired.

Ordinary tramway-rails can be used with the crossings, switches, and such like parts above described, the ends of the rails resting upon and bolted to projecting flanges similar to those shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Ido not herein claim the matter of the switch as shown in Figs. 6, 7, and 8, but reserve the same as the subject of a future application.

WVhat I claim as my invention is- 1. Crossings, switches, and such like parts of street-railroad construction, consisting of a lower or I-beam portion, the upper flange of I beam portion being provided with slots, through which pass lugs formed on the under side of the upper or wearing surface, the two being secured together by keys, substantially as shown and described.

2. In street-railroad construction for crossings, switches, and such like parts, a girder, A, provided with lugs ff, for receiving the ends of the rails, in combination with an upper or wearing surface, 13, provided on its under side with lugs h h, and keys j j, for securing the two parts together, substantially as shown and described.

3. In street-railroad construction,a girder for crossings, switches, and such like parts, said girder being cast in one piece,and consisting of an upper flange, a, provided with openings 6, lower flange, b, webs c c, and lugs or cars ff, for receiving the ends of the adjacent rails, substantially as shown and described 4. In street-railroad construction for crossings and such like parts, an upper or wearing surface, B, cast in one piece and provided on its under side with lugs h, in combination with an I-beam provided with openings in its upper flange, through which said lugs pass, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony whereofIhave signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

REYNOLDS T. WHITE.

\Vit nesses:

HENRY W. FoLsoM, SIDNEY \VETMoRn. 

